Philip Larkin won his reputation as one of England's finest poets with

Question

Philip Larkin won his reputation as one of England's finest poets with the release of  The Whitsun Weddings  in 1963. The mood of this thin volume changed considerably from poem to poem, but for all its range, it was clearly the product of a singular and accomplished poetic sensibility. The poems are deceptively simple. Their details are the details of the everyday: advertisements, train stations, provincial towns. They tackle the central issues of ordinary life in the language of ordinary speech, yet transform them into something elevated, and strangely beautiful.

These qualities were quickly identified, if not always appreciated, by reviewers. Some disparaged his work as "limited" and "commonplace." Larkin replied,  "I'd like to know what dragon-infested world these lads live in to make them so free with the word 'commonplace.'"  His irritation stemmed from his view that poetry "was an act of sanity, of seeing things as they are." He thought that the connection between poetry and the reading public, forged in the nineteenth century by poets such as Kipling, Houseman, and Brooke, had by the mid-twentieth century been destroyed by the increasing unintelligibility of English poetry to the general reader. He attributed this in part to the emergence of English literature as an academic subject and the consequent demand for poetry that needed elucidation.

He saw no such need to explain his own work. When asked to expand upon  The Whitsun Weddings , he remarked that the effect each poem was trying to achieve was clear enough in itself and could only add that "the poems had been written in or near Hull, Yorkshire, with a succession of 2B pencils during the years 1955 to 1963."    1 
 1. The author's primary concern in this passage is to

A. discuss the impact of the release of  The Whitsun Weddings  upon English poetry
B. show that Larkin's verse was informed by his views on poetry
C. describe how Larkin had transformed ordinary events into verse of lasting value
D. compare schools of poetry from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
E. explain how the general reader had become alienated from English poetry by the mid-twentieth century

2 
 2. The author's attitude to Larkin's poetry can best be described as

A. wholeheartedly admiring
B. conditionally enthusiastic
C. quietly ironic
D. fond but critical
E. reserved but approving

3 
 3. It can be inferred from the passage that Larkin would have thought that the poetry of Brooke

A. required elucidation
B. was irrelevant to the lives of a mid-twentieth-century audience
C. addressed issues important to everyday life
D. could be easily understood by the general reader
E. was not a suitable subject for academic discussion

4 
 4. The author quotes Larkin as saying, "I'd like to know what dragon-infested world these lads live in to make them so free with the word 'commonplace'" in order to

A. show how Larkin dismissed critics of his work by pointing out their personal failings
B. illustrate the dangers of life as a reviewer of poetry
C. show how Larkin mocked his critics for implying that everyday experience must be trivial and mundane
D. imply that Larkin thought that critics attacked his work in order to make their own lives seem more glamorous
E. show that Larkin did not believe that the events he wrote about were actually those that commonly occurred

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. The author's attitude to Larkin's poetry can best be described as

Explanation

Analyze the question stem  
The question asks for the  "author's attitude,"  a common variation on an Inference question. The author will not directly state an attitude, but that attitude is suggested by the author's use of keywords.

Research

Consult the passage map: Much of the last two paragraphs consists of Larkin's view. The author's attitude toward Larkin is most prominent in the first paragraph.

Make a prediction

In describing Larkin's poetry, the author claims it is  "the product of a singular and accomplished poetic sensibility,"  and that it transforms everyday details into  "something elevated and strangely beautiful."  These are the signs of an overwhelmingly positive appreciation for Larkin's work.

Evaluate the answer choices

(A)  is correct.

(B)  suggests the author's praise is qualified, but the author puts no restrictions on that praise or indicates any hesitation.

(C)  is unsupported. The author appears sincere, with no hint of irony.

(D)  is a 180. Larkin has critics, but the author makes no indication of being one of them.

(E)  claims the author is reserved, but the author never holds back on praising Larkin's work.

TAKEAWAY:  For questions about an author's attitude, use adjectives and adverbs to get a grasp of the author's tone.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

4. The author quotes Larkin as saying, "I'd like to know what dragon-infested world these lads live in to make them so free with the word 'commonplace'" in order to

Explanation

Analyze the question stem

The phrase  "in order to"  indicates the question is asking why the author mentions Larkin's quote, making this a Logic question.

Research

The quote is mentioned at the beginning of the second paragraph.

Make a prediction

The quotation is Larkin's response to critics who imply that there's something wrong with concentrating on everyday experience—that to do so results in work that is  "limited"  and  "commonplace."  Larkin clearly disagrees with the critics' view, and the purpose of the quote is to indicate that disagreement.

Evaluate the answer choices

(C)  is correct. It indicates Larkin's disapproval of the critics and correctly identifies the critics' view of Larkin's work as mundane.

(A)  starts off fine, as Larkin dismisses critics. However, Larkin is not attacking them for their "personal failings." That's a little harsh.

(B)  is distortion. Larkin is being sarcastic. He is not suggesting that poetry reviewers actually live in a dangerous world infested with dragons.

(D)  is not supported. Larkin does not agree that with the critics' views, but there is no suggestion that they have selfish motives and are trying to make their
own lives seem better.

(E)  is a 180. Larkin does feel that he writes about commonplace events. What Larkin rejects is the critics' use of the word "commonplace" as derogatory, as if it were boring or unexceptional to write about such events.

TAKEAWAY:  Make sure to read the answers in their entirety. Some answers can start off great but go horribly wrong in the last few words.

Answer: C

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The author's primary concern in this passage is to

Explanation

Analyze the question stem

The question asks for the "primary concern" of the entire passage, making this a Global question.

Research

There's no need to go back into the text of the passage. Instead, consider the Purpose as predicted while creating the passage map.

Make a prediction

The purpose of the passage is to describe Larkin's views on poetry and how they applied to his own poems.

Evaluate the answer choices

(B)  is correct , addressing Larkin's views and their application to his poems.

(A)  is a distortion. The author describes the reaction of critics, but offers no information on any impact Larkin had on English poetry or other poets.

(C)  is too narrow, concentrating on details in the first paragraph. It omits Larkin's views on poetry in general (paragraph 2) and his own poems (paragraph 3).

(D)  is something Larkin does in the second paragraph, not the author. Further, it's one detail, not the purpose of the entire passage.

(E)  also concentrates on Larkin's opinion, not the author's purpose.

Answer: B

Philip Larkin won his reputation as one of England's finest poets with

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GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Philip Larkin won his reputation as one of England's finest poets with

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